Stringing Along
by Jaddasroots
Summary: After three years, Akira's phone rings with Juiz on the line, sending Saki clues as to his whereabouts...


Jaddasroots

**I do not own Eden of the East.**

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><p>Saki gently closed the door behind her as she entered her older sister and brother-in-law's house. "Saki!" A small voice called. Turning from the door a red-headed girl ran to her and hugged her legs.<p>

"Hello to you too, Akihiko." Saki greeted picking up the three year old. "How're you?" "Fine." "Where's Ryouske?" "Ri-ohh-skay?" Saki giggled at this. "Your papa." Turning in her arms, Akihiko pointed into a darkened room.

Peeking through the doorway, she found the couple cuddled on the couch, watching a movie. "Ah, hello Saki." Ryouske greeted. "Do you need something?" Saki glanced at the stairs. "I just need something from my old room is all." She placed Akihiko down and jogged up the stairs.

"_**I'll come back Saki."**_

_**He placed the phone in her hand and he grinned. "I promise. I don't know when but I won't abandon you. Go to your room three years from now…hopefully I'll finish what I've started by then." He whispered before running from her.**_

Closing the door gently, she slid down to the floor. "Takizawa…" She mumbled. "Why come here? Going to the mall would make a lot more sense…"

Just then a ringing bounced within the walls of the room. Standing slowly, she walked over to her old dresser and opened the top drawer. Still ringing was Takizawa's Seleçao phone. _'It's been powered off before…' _Picking it up slowly, she flipped it open. "Hello?"

"_Hello. I am Juiz." _Saki gasped. "Juiz?" "Akira Takizawa has asked me to give you this clue to find something important." Getting over her initial shock, she whispered into the phone, "Okay."

"_Go to the place where you almost missed me_. I wish you the best."

A beep signaling the end of the call chimed in her ear.

'_The place I almost missed you…?' _Saki pondered. Absent-mindedly, she reached into her shirt and began to finger the golden ring.

'_What is it you want me to do Takizawa?'_

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><p>"So he has Juiz calling you, giving you some random clue?" Hirasawa asked sipping his drink. "Pretty much." Saki confirmed.<p>

"I wonder what could be so important that he has Juiz calling you." Itazu wondered stirring his shake. "I mean, he is starting to have an effect with helping the NEETs. Maybe he needs your help finally becoming the King of Japan." Itazu finished as he chewed on the strawberry.

"She still has to figure out the clue first." Micchon reminded. "I don't know what it could mean by almost miss…I mean I guess I do miss him a lot…" Saki blushed at her admission.

"Lovesick puppy." Micchon smirked. "Maybe it's not like that! Maybe he means like a bus or something!" Osugi interjected.

Saki's eyes widened as the answer hit her. "I know what he means…" She breathed. "You two missed a bus?"

"No…we waited at a dock for a ferry to take us to his home. And when he got on the ferry, I realized I had no way to get in touch with him afterwards. Then as it started to leave, he reached his hand out to me and He pulled me onto the boat."

"Sounds like the answer to me." Hirasawa smiled. "You should get to the dock Saki." Nodding, Saki excused herself and flew out the door.

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><p>Out of breath, the night sky loomed over Saki as she made it to the dock at last. Huffing and puffing she sat on the bench there. "I wonder…if I should board the ferry too…" She pondered between pants. The warm night breeze brushed over her skin. "What's here that's so important?"<p>

At that moment the Seleçao phone rang again. Flipping it open tiredly, Saki answered, "Hello?" "Hello. This is Juiz and Takizawa has asked me to give you another hint. First, please stand off the bench."

Saki did as asked. "Under this bench is a red bag. Take it and keep up with it. You will need it for this clue."

Bending over Saki reached under the bench and grabbed the red bag she said to be there. Slinging the strap over her shoulder she continued to listen. "Your next clue is, _go to where you're smile is supposed to be, but I'm not_. You have exactly one hour to complete this clue. I wish you the best of luck."

Saki groaned as she sifted through her mind. "Why would he give me these riddles? And why my smile? I thought he said that it was perfect…my…smile! The bathroom!"

Placing the bag to her side, Saki jumped up and headed for the street waiting for the next taxi.

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><p>"Ah! There you are ma'am!" A hand grabbed Saki's and led her to a waiting golf cart. "Excuse me?" "Your flight leaves in twenty minutes! We must hurry." She explained as she motioned for the driver to leave.<p>

'_How am I supposed to get to the bathroom now?' _Saki panicked as the golf cart raced down the hallways.

"Quickly now." The woman urged as she ushered Saki up the steps to the jet. The door immediately closed behind her leaving her no choice but to sit down and strap in.

"I'm flying in a private jet and no one has told me where I'm going…" Digging through her purse she held out the Seleçao phone. "Please call me soon Juiz…" The plane had taken off and the hours waned on, the humming of the turbine lulling Saki to sleep.

A soft ringing woke Saki up. "Hello?" She answered sleepily. "Hello again Saki. This is Juiz."

"Juiz! What happened? I was heading for the bathroom but a woman grabbed me and put me on a private jet!"

"You have no need to worry. I was asked to board you on a flight if figured out the clue. By the time you arrive at your destination it will be 3AM. A private car will be waiting for you to take you to a hotel so that you can rest. I will call you as soon as you are ready."

"Juiz, why is Takizawa doing this?"

"I don't know why."

Sighing, Saki slouched in the large chair. "Allright. Thank you Juiz." "You're welcome. I pray for your safety."

Slouching even more, Saki's head landed with a thump on the inner wall of the jet. "I feel…like I'm backtracking. From when I first met Takizawa…I wonder where I'll be going next?"

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><p>A soft knock caught Saki's attention. "One second!" She called pulling on a robe to make herself decent. Opening the door a maid wheeled in a cart of food. "Your breakfast is here. You may pick whatever you like from the cart." Saki gazed at everything in interest. "Sugoi…it all looks so good." Looking back up to the maid she smiled. "Can I have the poached egg and toast?" Retrieving what was asked for, the maid gave a quick smiled and left.<p>

Sitting at the table next to the window, she chewed thoughtfully. "If that's the Chrysler building…then I must be in New York…" She concluded. Done with her food she opened the red bag deposited on the floor. The bags contents consisted only of a t-shirt with a crown with wings and a pair of blue jean shorts. "Looks like this is the only thing to wear…" She sighed. After dressing, she pulled her hair into a bun.

"A decent look for the day."Just then the phone rang.

"Good morning. This is Juiz." "Hello Juiz." "You will need the golden ring on your neck for this final clue." Saki's hand flew to where the ring rested on her chest. "Okay." "Your final clue is, _It's not in a movie yet.'_" The line went dead and Saki closed the phone.

"Why do I have to go through so much trouble?" Saki whined grabbing her purse. "And he knows I don't watch movies…this clue is too hard." Her own phone went off, startling her. Reaching into her bag she glanced at the caller ID.

"Micchon?" "Saki. How's everything going?" "I just got my next clue from Juiz. The clue is 'It's not in a movie yet.'" "Have you figured it out?" "No Micchon! I'm terrible with movies and he should know that!" "Can you find anything the clues have in common?"

"Well…so far, it feels like I've gone backwards of when I first met him." "Then try to tie it to the other clues." "But he didn't tell me about his love for movies until we were on the ferry…" She gasped as the pieces clicked in place.

"It sounds like you've got it." "The freedom tower! It's just finished!" "Then get going Saki." "Right! Thank you Micchon."

Shoving the phone in her pocket, Saki raced out the door. After reaching the first floor, the private car from yesterday was waiting outside. Sliding in effortlessly, she demanded, "Take me to the freedom tower!"

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><p>Walking inside the tower, beeping went off on Saki's phone.<p>

"Go to the top floor." She read aloud. "What could be up there?" She mumbled as the elevator climbed 82 floors.

Stepping out, a white hallway greeted her. "What's…this?" Slowly walking down the hallway, pictures of the Air King littered the walls. "Hello? Anyone here?" She called. Coming to the end, a simple door stood in her way, a stand next to it.

"A stand from a merry-go-round…" She noticed. Maneuvering the string from around her head she placed the ring in the slot. The sound of a lock moving came from the door which soon swung open. Saki gazed in, swallowing before entering.

The hall stretched a bit before her, a bright light at the end. "Hello?" She tried again.

As she reached the end, she gasped. "What a view…" A glass wall looked out onto Manhattan. "It is a great view, isn't it?" Turning, Saki's breath stilled as Takizawa emerged from the shadows. He wore an Air King T-shirt, with his camo green jacket and blue jeans. "Hey, Saki." He waved. Saki turned to him fully, beginning to breathe again. "Takizawa…" He walked until he was inches from her.

"I'm glad you wore my shirt. It's the only one in the world. I made you do this all for a reason." "Then…why?" Rubbing the back of his head, he walked past her to look out the window.

"I had finally started to see the changes. I've been working with Mr. Outside. But I could never forget about you Saki, no matter what. Our entire experience was based on memories. And the ones with you are the most important to me." He confessed. Turning to her he smiled. "And I wanted to know if they were as important to you as they are to me Saki."

"I'm King of Japan now, but what's a King without a Queen?" He held her face in his hands. "I'm glad you gave me your coat." He began to under her bun. "I'm glad you let me fly with you." Her hair fell to her shoulders. "And I'm glad you took my hand Saki. Tell me you don't feel the same." He dared with serious eyes searching her own.

Saki slowly placed her hands on his chest. "I'm glad…you helped me at the White House. And I'm glad you protected my country…" Unconsciously, her arms slowly snaked around his neck. "And I will never regret that I took your hand." Smirking, he chuckled, "Do you regret seeing my Johnny?" Saki immediately blushed and stumbled backwards.

"Takizawa!" He held his stomach as he laughed at her reaction. "I'm sorry Saki. It's just funny every time." He managed to get out. Saki pouted as he got himself together. He quickly went to her, snaking an arm around her waist to pull her to him. Saki blushed as his face neared hers and he kissed her.

"Will you be my Air Queen Saki?" He asked against her lips pulling a gold ring out his pocket. Taking her left hand he slid it on, looking at her expression all the while. "Y-Yes Takizawa." He took her chin into his hands and leaned his head on hers. "Say my name." "Taki," "My first name silly." He chuckled. "Akira…" She whispered. Standing tall he smiled. "We've got about five billion yen to blow the rest of our lives Saki. And I'll still be working to change the world."

Giggling she took his hand. "Then let's change it together."

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><p>OMG…. Never thought I'd finish it within an entire day.<p>

As usual this is a little oneshot showing my love and dedication to a newly discovered anime.

Probably one of the shortest stories I've written in awhile.

Did anyone hate the ending of Paradise Lost as much as I did? I mean it's already pretty clear at the end of the series Takizawa feels _something _for Saki and it's obvious that Saki feels **something **for Takizawa at the end of Paradise Lost. I mean _come on!_

I did as much research as I could on the Freedom Tower. So here's to hoping it's all remotely accurate. Also I'm not sure whether Saki's niece/nephew is a boy or a girl so I just made it a girl.

**Spoiler Alert!**

I'd date Takizawa. We'd have lots of fun. And I was really fearin' for their relationship in Episode…9? Was it 9? When Takizawa was gonna show Kuroha how to feel loved and all that. I figured they'd kiss and then Saki'd walk in then she'd run away all heartbroken and everything would go straight to hell. 8D

Their relationship has so much potential I'm so upset! When Takizawa woke up while Saki was tending to his wounds and he asked was there someone else there Saki coulda been all like,

"_Yes…I didn't know that you had a girlfriend Takizawa." She turned away, eyes hiding her bangs, hand crushing the roll of gauze in her hand. Takizawa stared on curiously, then sighed. "It's actually now what you think…I…that woman was the Johnny Hunter. And she had never been loved by a man before." _

_Saki stood abruptly. "I'm going to go get more bandages." She said softly dropping the gauze from her friends. "Please don't cry. I'm explaining it all wrong." Saki turned to him, tears threatening to break free. "You have a kind heart Takizawa. And you care for everyone so…so…" She sniffed. She stopped as she heard Takizawa grunting in pain to stand._

"_Don't get up! You're still hurt!" She cried rushing to him. "I can't stand to see anyone hurt…or anyone cry. But I can't bear seeing you cry Saki. I told you I'd take care of you." Saki gently laid him down. "I'm sorry for making you worry…and for dragging you into this…but you're the only one who truly believes in me Saki and I'm selfish…" he rambled on with his eyes closed. _

"_I want to change the world…for you." Saki blushed furiously at his statement. "Thank you…" She murmured. He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Hey there's something in my eye. Think you can blow it out for me?" Giving a confused look she scooted over to his face. "Okay…" Just as she took a breath he reached up and kissed her._

_Grunting as he laid down again he smirked. "Had enough energy to do that." He chuckled. Saki pressed her fingers to her lips, cheeks red. "I'm going to change this world for you Saki. I promise."_

But NO. It can't happen like that. Ugh!

And Osugi. You're getting kinda Kouga from Inuyasha on me here. And I loved Hirasawa. He's the same voice as Kenji Koiso from _Summer Wars. _Great movie. Go watch it. But he's also the guy who replaced the old Xellos in Slayer's Revolution. Grr.

I hope everyone is relatively in character. If not Bleh. Review please.

Stay beautiful and literate!


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